Astros are bold but not so beautifulGiven an RBI chance, Ramirez helps Marlins take 8-6 victory

MIAMI — Cecil Cooper made a peculiar decision in the sixth inning Monday night, intentionally walking Nick Johnson to pitch to one of baseball’s best hitters.

Challenging Hanley Ramirez is an unusual way to try to win a baseball game, but maybe Cooper figured that because the logical ways weren’t working, he’d try something completely different.

“I don’t have a problem with that,” Cooper snapped later.

Well, OK then, Mr. Touchy.

Down the hallway, Ramirez didn’t either.

“That’s the first time I’ve seen it,” he said.

Ramirez’s run-scoring single after the walk to Johnson helped the Florida Marlins break open a close game on their way to an 8-6 victory over the free-falling Astros.

It was a game with all kinds of nooks and crannies, and not just because of Cooper’s bizarre decision to pitch to the National League’s leading hitter. Ramirez is also leading the NL in hitting with runners in scoring position.

If you like a man unafraid to put his head in the lion’s mouth, you’d love Cooper on Monday night.

Brian Moehler allowed four runs and five hits in five innings.

Brian Moehler allowed four runs and five hits in five innings.

Photo: Alan Diaz, AP

Photo: Alan Diaz, AP

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Brian Moehler allowed four runs and five hits in five innings.

Brian Moehler allowed four runs and five hits in five innings.

Photo: Alan Diaz, AP

Marlins beat free-falling Astros 8-6 in series opener

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It was a game that also had close calls, lousy relief pitching and a late comeback that made it interesting. In the end, the song remained the same as the Astros lost for the 11th time in 16 games to continue their slide from contention. After pulling within a game of the NL Cenral lead on July 22, they now are seven games out, their largest deficit since June 17.

If you’re wondering what a fourth straight season out of the playoffs looks like, this is it.

First, a starting pitcher digs himself an early hole. Sound familiar? Then the Astros generate almost nothing offensively until it is too late. Yep, they’ve been down this road a few times lately.

Unless something changes, the Astros are about to play five weeks of meaningless ball in front of acres of empty seats at Minute Maid Park.

Astros starter Brian Moehler (7-8) pitched better than his line would indicate, but these are the things that happen to losing teams. He allowed four first-inning runs, two of them scoring on John Baker’s looping two-run double into the left-field corner.

Once Moehler got out of the first, he sailed through the next four innings.

“I felt like I made a couple of good pitches that inning,” he said. “They just found some holes. But they put up four runs. I didn’t think that was going to beat us.’’

Darin Erstad doubled, homered and drove in three runs, but the Astros were 0-for-9 with runners in scoring position in the first eight innings.

“We’ve got to be able to shut them down to have a chance,” Cooper said. “We’re not built to come back.”

The Astros were down just 4-2 when Chris Sampson entered in the sixth. He’s attempting to pitch despite a torn hip labrum, and it’s not working. He allowed three runs in the sixth and has been scored on in five of his last eight appearances — 12 earned runs in 62⁄3 innings.

“I am a little concerned,” Cooper said. “Chris is usually pretty effective. He’s been missing his spots with his sinker. It’s been up, and he can’t afford to have his sinker up in the zone.”

Sampson isn’t why the Astros lost again, why they’re again two games under .500 and look like a team going nowhere. He was simply something else that’s broken.

“Every night we lose, it’s getting tougher,” Carlos Lee said. “The thing that bothers me is we were playing so good. We got so close.”